Rory McIlroy made the headlines this week after being pictured alongside US President Donald Trump following a round of golf.
Reaction to the round was mixed, with many criticising the four-time major winner for playing alongside the controversial figure.
On this week's Off The Ball, Lawrence Donegan shared his thoughts on the matter with Joe Molloy.
McIlroy had remained silent about the round, but in an interview with The Guardian's Ewan Murray on Friday morning, the 28-year-old clarified his position on Trump and his views on US politics.
"I really got into it once Trump ran because I knew him a little bit but at the same time I was intrigued how a successful businessman could transition into running for the highest office in the land," he explained.
"It is a totally different process from the UK. He obviously came at it from a completely different angle.
"I've said it to the man himself; on a Tuesday night at a tournament, if there was a live [political] debate, I would get room service, stick on CNN and just watch. It was pure entertainment, even if you didn’t understand politics it was this complete phenomenon.
"Something like this probably won’t happen again in our lifetime. I’m very attuned to it, I watch a lot of news. You can’t avoid it. I had no interest in politics until a couple of years ago; now I can’t seem to get away from it."
He added: "I feel like I’ve stayed unpolitical in terms of Northern Ireland and all that goes on there but because I’m not an American I don’t feel a real part of it; I’m just interested by the phenomenon of it all. I don’t really care about the policies. The whole circus, this big show is intriguing to watch."
McIlroy is continuing to return from a rib injury and may return in time for next week's World Golf Championship in Mexico.
Looking ahead to the year's first major, The Masters, he said: "I still have tournaments to get ready for Augusta, which is the biggest tournament of my year, and I’ve no problem saying that. It’s the one major I’m yet to win. As long as I’m good for that, I don’t care what it takes.
"That’s my main goal and it will continue as my main goal until I win it."
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
